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Head and neck cancers include cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx, sinuses, salivary glands, middle ear, and lymph nodes. Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body. This is known as metastasis.
Head and neck cancers are the commonest cancers in India. Oral cancer alone is growing at the highest rate. In the last cancer epidemiology report – oral cancer was seen to have risen by 106%. It is the commonest cancer amongst males in India; Maharashtra having registered the highest number of new cases in the country.
Chewable tobacco in the form of gutka, chaini-khaini, paan masala and others are the leading cause of oral cancer. Smoked tobacco is responsible for cancers of the throat, larynx (voice box), pharynx-oesophagus (food pipe), trachea (wind pipe) and lungs. About 75% of head and neck cancers are caused by alcohol and tobacco. The average age on initiation of tobacco consumption in India is 14 years. The other risk factors include betel quid, certain viruses like HPV and EBV, radiation exposure.
The only cure of cancer is Early Detection. Increasing efforts are being put to increase the awareness of the population. The three proven modalities of treatment are surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or a combination of them. Early stage cancers are usually amenable to surgery alone however in higher stages – a combination of two or all three modalities is usually preferred.
Following are the red-flag signs of Head & Neck Cancer
If you have any of the above – you must consult your doctor
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